Electric gun or projectile propelling apparatus



Dec. 25 1934. c. A, HUSE ELECTRIC GUN 0R PROJECTILE PROPELLING APPARATUS 7 Fi1ed 'June 15, 1955 I jmwnt oo @644. (I.

- Fm @1660 cManwio Patented- Dec. 25, I934 h UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC GUN OB PROJECTILE PROPEL- LING APPARATUS Charles A. Huse, Trenton, N. .L, asslgncr of onehalf to H. H. Weaver, New Hope, Pa.

Application June 15, 1933, Serial No. 676,017

12 Claims. 01.172-290) I have discovered, and proved bypractical striking force called for in a gun or piece of demonstration, in what I .call an electric gun, ordnance. The field producing element is in the that by electro-magnetism utilized with elements form of a spiral extending lengthwise of the gun corresponding to one producing a magnetic field, and surrounding or forming the gun bore and and the other element corresponding to the body each complete or full turn of the spiral consti- 5 acted on by said field and caused to move, motion tutes what for convenience I shall term a motor. of rotation and translation of such body may be The winding is such as to provide poles for each produced such as that of an elongated projectile motor and by preference, the winding is for poly- .in rifled ordnance using an explosive. The object phase currents. The winding of the several of my invention is to utilize that discovery in "motors may be connected to the current leads 1o whatever applications to which it may be susto produce any desired number of poles in the ceptible, and in particular, in the provision of a respective motors, and the connection with the gun using an elongated projectile. current leads is in parallel. For example, the

I show in the drawing, and describe in the motors at the breech end may have six poles,

l5 specification, an embodiment of my invention those toward the muzzle may have two poles and in a gun or piece of'ordnance, and an embodiment the intervening ones may have four poles. Such in which the characteristics of an alternating an arrangement of poleswillresultinacceleration current motor are employed, in that what correof the speed of the rotor as it travels through sponds to the gun barrel provides or produces a the gun barrel. And by var t fr qu n y traveling magnetic field or stator and the elonof the current alternations, acceleration of rotor 20 gated projectile provides or constitutes the rotor. speed may be produced and if the pitch of the My invention, however, consists in whatever spiral be gradually increased from breech to is described by or is included within the terms or muzzle, that will result in speed acceleration oi scope of the appended claims. the rotor or projectile. Difierent phase windings In the drawing: may be used for the stator. Pitch increase in- Fig. l is a side view of an electro-magnetic creases pole spacing and rotor speed increases gun embodying my invention; because the time of rotor travel between the dif- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the muzzle end ferently spaced poles is the same. Preferably the of such gun; rotor has a squirrel-cage winding, the bars of Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion or which extend parallel or substantially parallel so the gun, with the projectile therein, in side elevawith the axis of the gun barrel.

tion; Any one, two or all of the arrangements for Fig.4 is a detail view on a large scale of a assuring that speed of the rotor or projectile cross-section. which will give it the desired muzzle velocity may Describing my invention in the gun embodibe employed. merit illustrated in the drawing, it will be found As shown in the drawing, there is a suitable that the field producing element extends in a gun mount 10, by which the barrel 11, is supstraight line longitudinally of the gun barrel and ported for horizontal and vertical movement for in fact is incorporated in the gun barrel and the training or aiming, but it is not necessary to de- 40 wiring is such as to provide in effect a plurality scribe such support. in any detail, as it forms no of motor fields in a series that extend succespart of the present invention. sively from breech to muzzle of the gun, the suc- The field-producing element is a spiral 12, that cessive motor fields having such an arrangement extends rib-like from breech to muzzle of the gun of poles as to produce a magnetic field that travels and is laminated. As shown in the' drawing, the

longitudinally of the gun when alternating, curspiral increases in pitch from the breech to the rent or any desired phase is applied so that the muzzle. The, field windings 13, are placed in rotor which constitutes the projectile being inradial recessesinthe plates or lamina, the recesses serted in the gun breech is given the rotary moveat their irmer ends being closed by wooden wedgement and the axial or-longitudinal movement of form strips 14. As has been explained, the spiral the gun barrel which characterizes the action of with the field windings is to be considered as con- 0 the familiar rifled gun so that the rotor will stituting in one full turn of the gun barrel a moemerge from the gun muzzle with that rotation tor each with its proper number of poles and so necessary to keep it end on to secure accuracy that from breech to muzzle of the gun, there is of flight and at amuzzle velocity which will rea pluralityof such motors in series. The motors 5 suit in desired range and target vor objectmay be arranged in groups each group consisting of a desired number and relative arrangement as to poles.

If, for example, a two-phase current winding is employed, the several motors or groups of motors may be energized by currents that increase in frequency towards the muzzle end of the gun and the frequency changes may be regular in point of number of motors concerned, or irregular.

Within the spiral field-constituting or producing element is a tubular member or shell 15, which extends lengthwise of the barrel and constitutes the bore of the gun and provides a concentric race through which the rotor projectile passes from breech to muzzle. Such race may be of metal in which case, it should be split longitudinally to prevent a closed secondary circuit in the field but if non-metallic, it need not be split longitudinally. Such a secondary circuit would interfere with magnetic current-inducing action on the rotor.

The projectile-forming rotor 16, is of elongated cylindrical form and may be hollow to contain an explosive and provided with suitable explosive igniting means. At intervals of its length the rotor is provided externally with a.series of cylindrical sections spaced apart and each composed of side by side spaced apart rings or lamina, 17, of soft iron in the periphery of which are embedded parallel, longitudinal bars 18, of copper, thus providing the rotor with squirrel-cage armatures that prevent hysteresis, the bars, of course, being electrically connected at their ends by circuit closing rings 19, so that a closed secondary circuit is provided.

It will be understood that, in effect, to secure the rectilineal movement, or movement of translation of the rotor, the motor fields extend longitudinally of the gun barrel or tube and the traveling field in securing both rotary motion and motion of translation simultaneously, is in advance of the rotor, this being characteristic of polyphase windings, in common practice, because of a poor power factor that does not give unity.

Inasmuch as the circuit arrangement for the field may be any conventional or customary one whether for a single phase current or for a polyphase current, it has been considered unnecessary to illustrate or describe any field circuit arrangement.

Preferably between the squirrel-cage armatures on portions of the rotor of less diameter, a filling 20, of lubricant is provided which has contact with the interior of the race or gun bore. Of course, the rotor fits with sufiicient looseness in the gun bore to assure freedom from frictional resistance that would retard rotation and longitudinal movement of the rotor.

One spiral, or any desired number of spirals may be used for the stator, two being shown in Fig. 2.

While a single squirrel-cage winding may be satisfactorily used, there is an advantage in having a. plurality of squirrel-cage windings, as illustrated in the drawing, because the multiplication of the squirrel cages increases the torque and, therefore, the power imparted to the rotor.

I contemplate an embodiment of my invention which will cause reciprocation of the rotor or armature. Thus, the stator may be placed vertically so that the travel of the armature will be upward, and. then, by opening the stator circuit, the armature will fall by gravity, and the operation repeated.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus using electro-magnetism comprising an elongated tubular member and an elongated member positioned to move within said tubular member longitudinally and rotatably, such two members constituting complementary elements of electro-magnetic apparatus which upon the application of current to the tubular member causes rotation and longitudinal movement of the other member therein, the tubular member having a spiral-form magnetic fieldproducing element.

2. Apparatus using electro-magnetism comprising an elongated tubular member and an elongated member positioned to move within said tubular member longitudinally and rotatably, such two members constituting complementary elements of electro-magnetic apparatus which upon the application of current to the tubular member causes rotation and longitudinal movement of the other member therein and therethrough, the tubular member being a spiral stator provided with windings adapted to produce a traveling magnetic field when supplied with alternating current and the other member having a winding that responds to such magnetic field.

3. Apparatus using electro-magnetism comprising an elongated tubular member and an elongated member positioned to move within said tubular member longitudinally and rotatably,'

such two members constituting complementary elements of electro-magnetic apparatus which upon the application of current to the tubular member causes rotation and longitudinal movement of the other member therein and therethrough, said tubular member having a spiral form magnetic field producing element.

4. Apparatus using electro-magnetism comprising an elongated tubular member and an elongated member positioned to move within said tubular member longitudinally and rotatably, such two members constituting complementary elements of electro-magnetic apparatus which upon the application of current to the tubular member causes rotation and longitudinal movement of the other member therein and therethrough, said tubular member having a spiral form magnetic field producing element, the spiral being of increasing pitch from one end to the other.

5. Electra-magnetic apparatus that comprises a spiral stator having a field means that constitutes a plurality of motor elements in axial alinement, such field means having magnetic poles that rotate and travel in an axial direction, and a complementary member free for simultaneous rotary and axial movement when the stator is supplied with proper current.

6. Electra-magnetic apparatus having an elongated tubular member that includes a spiralform stator that establishes a field of force, the spiral enclosing a space, and an element movable longitudinally and rotationally through such space subject to the inductive action of the field.

7. Electro-magnetic apparatus having a tubular member that includes a rectilineally extending spiral stator field member within which is a longitudinally extending space and a complementary elongated armature within such space and movable lengthwise and rotationally thereof when an alternating current is supplied to the stator.

8. Electro-magnetic apparatus comprising an elongated tubular member that includes a stator and an elongated member with a plurality of 11: Apparatus as in claim 2 in which the spiral squirrel-cage windings subject to inductive action -j field producing element is laminated with the of the stator. field windings in recesses in the lamina.

9. Apparatus as in claim 7, having a tubular 12. Apparatus as in claim 4 in which the spiral 5 race for the armature that resists inductive actionv field producing element is laminated with the 5 of the stator. field windings in recesses in the lamina.

10. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which the spiral v field producing element is laminated with the CHARLES A. HUSE.

field windings in recesses in the lamina. 

